One of the newest epidemics in the world of texting is Textual Harassment, a form of harassment delivered by text message.  Textual harassment and techno-stalking are a growing concern, especially because it’s so quick and easy to accomplish, and affects all ages of both women and men.
Textual Harassment is an unfortunate reality that has developed as a result of the growth and popularity of texting, to the degree that special laws have been put in place to protect the innocent.

The laws that define textual harassment vary from state to state, but in California a single unsolicited text message that threatens physical harm or is obscene is enough to meet the definition of textual harassment. If the text doesn’t fall into either of these categories, then the text must be sent several times in order to be considered textual harassment. 

What should you do if you get text harassed?

I – Ignore the Text – DON’T RESPOND & make a copy of the message

B – Block – Call your provider and have them block the number

R – Report – Report the harassment to the police

It really comes down to one question when you’re trying to decide if a text has crossed the line. Ask yourself “Do you feel threatened or violated in any way?” If your answer is “Yes”, stop responding to the texts, keep copies of the messages in your e-mail, and if needed, block their number. If you feel threatened, strongly consider reporting them to the police, which is why you need to document the messages by making copies.
 
Most importantly, if you get harassed by text, understand that you’re not alone. There is millions of textual harassment cases reported every year in the United States, and it’s my strong opinion that most cases go unreported.
 
For more information and reports published by the US Department of Justice, Violence Against Women, go directly to their site at:  http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/ .

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After meeting hundreds of celebrities, handing out over 250 special edition copies of Read Between the Lines, and taking more photos than I care to mention, one of my favorite moments was spending time with Quinton Aaron, who plays the part of the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher, in the movie “The Blind Side”.  

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you’ve got to!  Quinton is wonderful, and as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Sandra Bulluck was also incredible enough to take home Oscar.

Quinton was down to earth, and at the same time, larger than life!  We spent more than twenty minutes in great conversation, then we took lots of fun pictures, hugged, and even danced (He’s hoping for a gig on Dancing With the Stars) and I have the picture of us in motion to prove his worthiness!  🙂

At first, my mom didn’t recognize him, but when she did – I thought she was going to faint!  And the picture of Quinton giving Nicole a giant bear hug is priceless!

The entire day was such an incredible experience; it literally took me three days to recover.  Thank God for my Mom,  my daughter Nicole, and my girlfriends Jen, Venetia, and Jennifer.  Between the six of us, we were able to talk to everyone who stopped by, take tons of pictures, and offered Michelle’s special sugar cookies in the shape of stars.  After that, we asked everyone to autograph the blown-up version of the book cover.  By the end of the night – we had collected over 300 signatures!

I can best explain our day as the ultimate “Coming Out Party” RBTL could have ever hoped for!

More fun SWAG 411 to follow!

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It’s the age of technology, and we’re all smack dab in the middle of it all.

There’s e-mail, news alerts, tweets, texts, Skype, a multitude of in-boxes, social media sites, blogs, YouTube and phones everywhere we turn.  Not only do we need to understand how to use technology, but we also need to master all the 411 without throwing it into reverse.

Technology can benefit you, but it can also suck you in and waste your precious time if you’re not careful.  And it’s time you’ll never get back.

Here’s a few tips to help you take charge, prioritize, and thank God for Google.

• Take Charge of your In-Boxes.  Delete what’s not important or doesn’t apply to you.  Install a reputable spam filter to reduce trash, and prioritize what’s essential to your career, family and friends.  Delete the rest.
• Use Google.  Because of Google’s algorithm – We benefit from the wisdom of many knowledgeable and diverse individuals in just a few clicks.  Viola!  Just like that, you’ll have answers to your burning questions.  
• Text Tactfully.  Text when it makes sense, and don’t watch your life fly by, by staring at your phone all day, waiting for that next text to come in.  Do yourself a favor and make the call instead of passing hundreds of texts back and forth.
• Don’t be too Social.  Balance is your key to success when it comes to social media.  Spending hours a day on Facebook?  Do you really have that much EXTRA time?
• Pick your Passion.  Use the technology that works for you, and don’t be close-minded when it comes to learning new gizmos.  Keep an open mind, and give it an honest shot.
• Get an iPhone.  I know; this is a tuff pill to swallow if you’re a BlackBerry user like I was just four weeks ago.  That being said, I’ve taken control of my in-boxes, text messages, my calendar (It auto syncs with Outlook) and Google works like a dream.  Oh, and did I mention I can take a quality photo and then immediately text or e-mail it in a snap?  And the App Store…. WAD!  (What a Dream)

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Thanks to four of my amazing girlfriends, we finished stoning and wrapping Read Between the Lines and it’s companion iPhone App “OMG!” in preparation for the Academy Award SWAG event this Saturday.

Nothing helps get my gal-pals more motivated than a couple bottles of wine and some hot steamy pepperoni pizza!  With 150 books to embellish with Swarovski Crystals, we had our work cut out for us.

It was no problem!  Jen, Beverly and Michelle stoned, Vinny worked on “blinging” the giant book cover, and I signed, stuffed and wrapped.  We worked hard for 5 hours, but got it done.

Here’s a look at 220 completed books, ready to be given away to celebrities, stylists, and select media who’ve been invited to the upcoming SWAG event, and we’ll be there to witness it first hand.

Next up?  Jen and I finished the backdrop tonight, and next… we need to figure out a way to get all of these books plus the 50 splits of Rose Chandon, 200 star-shaped sugar cookies decorated in the colors of the book, our backdrop, and luggage crammed into my car, for our road-trip to Hollywood!

We plan to get our guests all sugared up from the cookies and tipsy from the champagne so we can get some great photo-op’s.  JK – we just plan to have a lot of fun and get RBTL into the hands of the well heeled.

Did you know that SWAG stands for “Stuff We All Get”?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been given a big bag full of great free stuff, including things like Alligator handbags, iPhones and Swiss watches.  Hmm, I’m thinking it’s more like “Stuff We A’listers Get”.

It’s quite the adventure, and I’m really looking forward to all of it!

Thanks for reading! Check out www.rbtlguide.com for more information.